Bose sleep products quietly withdraw from China: high-priced headphones turn into electronic waste overnight

Recently, many consumers reported to Sina Technology that the Bose Sleepbuds II headphones they purchased (the second generation of sleep noise-blocking earbuds) were removed from the shelves and discontinued due to the product withdrawal. After maintaining the accompanying app, the earbuds eventually became unusable and have now become electronic waste. Consumers are puzzled, "When you buy a product, you buy it with an app to treat sleep. If the app doesn't work, the headphones are useless."

Sina Technology learned from Bose personnel that the Bose sleep headphone products were withdrawn from the Chinese market in January this year. Currently, the supporting App for this product cannot be downloaded on Android, iOS, and the Bose official website, and will not be available in the future. Yes, "the only service the official can provide is price increase and exchange."

It is worth noting that on domestic e-commerce platforms such as JD.com, there are still many stores selling this series of Bose headphone products, and new buyers still do not know that this product has been withdrawn from the market. However, in other markets such as Hong Kong, the United States, and other markets, the supporting download service for this product can still be obtained through channels such as iOS and the Bose official website.

“Two thousand dollars to buy functional headphones, but the accompanying app disappears”

“Every sleepless night, are you suffering from your partner’s thunderous snoring or the neighbor’s girl’s unpleasant noise? Screaming? Now, Bose’s new generation of sleep earbuds, Sleepbuds II, may be able to help you. Through the App, you can choose to play Bose’s specially designed noise-blocking white noise, allowing you to focus more while falling asleep.”

It is easy to see from the above promotional text that this is a headset with sleep aid function, and it must be used with the app. Public information shows that on November 19, 2020, the improved second-generation Sleepbuds headphones officially entered the mainland market, priced at 1,999 yuan.

However, the App was quietly “removed” from the shelves, making users who purchased it angry. "The headphones I bought for two thousand yuan can no longer be used due to the merchant's market strategy adjustment, and I haven't even received a notification. It's really chilling to think about it." A senior digital industry person commented, "Electronic products It is not uncommon to withdraw from the mainland market, but quietly withdrawing without any public announcement or user notification is not common and is not advisable.”

The person cited Kindle’s withdrawal from China in 2023. The approach at the time stated, "At that time, Kindle decided to delist on June 30, 2023, and issued a notice of operational adjustments in China a year in advance to remind users to be prepared. Another reminder was issued one month before the official delisting. The purpose In order to prepare users and avoid losses, Bose’s approach today is much worse.”

There are still many stores selling the product on domestic e-commerce platforms such as JD.com and Suning.com. A series of Bose sleep products are priced in the range of 2,200 yuan to 3,500 yuan. This means that there are still new buyers who may not know that this product has been withdrawn from the mainland market and cannot download the accompanying app.

On the official website of BOSE.CN China, there is still information that Bose Sleepbuds II (ie Bose noise-blocking sleep earbuds II) will be sold from 2020 to 2023. However, the App product that supports this product’s sleep-promoting effect has completely withdrawn from the Chinese (except Hong Kong) market.

Bose headphones are mostly made in China and then re-branded?

As a well-known audio equipment brand, Bose headphones have unique brand advantages in fields such as bass and noise cancellation, and therefore have become a favorite brand among many consumers. However, in recent years, with the emergence of more and more headphone products of the same category, the brand perception of Bose headphones in the domestic market is gradually weakening.

In communication with Sina Technology, a professional who specializes in headphone modification said, "Currently, the world's top foundries are in China, and the top audio equipment manufacturing processes are also in China. The industrial chain The advantage has also laid the foundation for Huawei, Xiaomi and others to launch local audio equipment. In addition to their flagship models, overseas brands such as Bose are mostly domestically produced and re-branded, and they no longer have competitive advantages in mid- to low-end products.”

He pointed out that the rise of the local electronics industry chain is constantly weakening the competitiveness of Bose headphones in the domestic market. At the same time, the performance of Bose headphones in terms of after-sales service is also turning more and more users from fans to fans.

On Black Cat Complaints, there have been more than 1,438 user complaints. The complaint problems are mainly divided into two categories: First, there are abnormal current noises, poor network connections, switch failures, and logistics wear and other quality control issues. Problem; second, Bose’s after-sales service experience is poor, they push the blame to solve the problem, and the product maintenance cost during the warranty period is more expensive than the purchase price of a new product.

In addition, platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu are also filled with a large number of content exposing Bose headset quality problems and users complaining. Most of these contents were posted by former senior users of Bose headphones, sharing their personal experiences of "Bose headphones rights protection stories."

"Don't buy Bose, you will become unfortunate" "Bose headphones, whoever buys them will be blamed!" "What does it mean to spend money to buy lessons, you have seen it!" users complained one after another.

Are Bose headphones, each of which sells for more than a thousand yuan, subject to an IQ tax? A professional audio-visual room design team said, "Bose headphones' treble is not sweet enough, the midrange is not accurate enough, and the bass is not deep enough, so their presence in the eyes of professional audiophiles is relatively weak, so they are mainly positioned for the middle-class group who have some money and are pursuing. "But as more and more alternative products appear, "the middle-class people who have some money are no longer obsessed with Bose. It is no longer as popular as it used to be."

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